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ALASTAIR COOK INJURY UPDATE (From Essex CCC Physio Mark Thomas)

Alastair Cook sustained a dislocation of the distal inter phalangeal joint of his right hand (little finger) while fielding during the final session on day one of the Tourist match with New Zealand.  The was successfully reduced and x-rays show no fracture. He is in no pain and will play a full part in the rest of the game.

Day One - Essex won the toss and elected to bowl. Andre Nel was left out of the provisional 12-man squad. 

PREVIEW

Essex have named a 12-man squad for their four-day Tourist Match against the New Zealanders at The Ford County Ground, starting on Friday (May 2).

Captain Mark Pettini leads a youthful team that could feature six players of 24 years or under.

Batsmen Alastair Cook and Ravinder Bopara will be looking to impress ahead of the upcoming international series against the Black Caps. Meanwhile, young bowlers Maurice Chambers and Tony Palladino will be hoping to make the most of their opportunity with David Masters and Chris Wright rested.

Graham Napier (knee) and Tim Phillips (knee) are the only players unavailable for selection.

Commenting on Napier, First-Team Coach Paul Grayson told the Essex CCC website:

Graham needs overs under his belt before he's ready to return to the first-team so if he comes through an appearance in the 2nd XI next week (Essex 2nd XI take on Middlesex 2nd XI at Garon Park from May 7 to May 9) we hope he'll be available for the Friends Provident Trophy game against Surrey (Sunday May 11 at the Brit Oval). 

A detailed Fitness Update will appear from Physio Mark Thomas on the Essex CCC website on Thursday.

TICKETS
Tickets are available to the general public for each day at £15 for adults/££7.50 juniors (juniors can upgrade to a year's membership for just an extra £4.50 (contact the Membership department on 01245 254010 for more information).

ONLINE AND RADIO COVERAGE
BBC Essex - our official broadcast partner - will be providing live ball-by-ball commentary of the game from 11.00am on Friday morning. You can access the commentary via the Essex CCC website at www.essexcricket.org.uk or at http://www.bbc.co.uk/essex/ from the start of the match.

Regular updates will also appear in the ECCC Diary section of the Essex CCC website.

MILESTONES
The following Essex players are approaching career milestones:

For Essex first-class:
Alastair Cook 2822 runs
James Middlebrook 48 catches

First-Class:
Alastair Cook 5941 runs
James Middlebrook 3866 runs
David Masters 245 wickets

Essex squad to play the New Zealanders in the Tourist Match at The Ford County Ground (Friday May 2 to Monday May 5)

Alastair Cook, Jason Gallian, Ravinder Bopara, Tom Westley, Mark Pettini,
Ryan ten Doeschate, James Foster, James Middlebrook, Alex Tudor, Andre Nel,
Tony Palladino, Maurice Chambers.